Calcium-pH interplay modulates cadmium accumulation in Arachis hypogaea: Implications for safe peanut production

doi:10.1016/j.jia.2026.03.048

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Calcium-pH interplay modulates cadmium accumulation in Arachis hypogaea: Implications for safe peanut production

Xin Tang¹^,², Yuepeng Yin¹^,², Lirong Li¹^,², Saqib Bashir¹, Changfeng Ding¹^,², Zhigao Zhou¹, Taolin Zhang¹^,², Yurong Wang^1#, Xingxiang Wang¹^,²^,^3#

¹State Key Laboratory of Soil & Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China

²University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

³Ecological Experimental Station of Red Soil, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yingtan 335211, China

Highlights

Balancing soil pH and Ca supply boosted peanut yield by 41.2% in the acidic soil.

Slight pH increase had limited effect on reducing Cd accumulation in peanut seeds.

Ca enhanced both root Cd absorption and Cd immobilization in shoot cell walls.

Balanced soil pH and Ca increased peanut yield and reduced seed Cd content.

Abstract
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摘要

土壤pH调节和钙肥（Ca）施用是酸性土壤区花生生产中常用的农艺管理措施，但二者对镉（Cd）积累的协同调控机制仍缺乏系统认识。本研究通过盆栽试验和水培试验，探究了施用石灰（0.7%）及不同水平Ca(NO₃)₂（0.01%、0.02%和0.04%）对酸性土壤Cd生物有效性及花生Cd吸收的影响。结果表明，单独施用石灰和Ca(NO₃)₂分别使花生籽粒Cd含量降低15.7%和30.4%；二者联合施用则能在提高花生产量的同时有效降低籽粒Cd含量。石灰主要通过提高pH降低土壤Cd活性减少根系对Cd的吸收，从而降低植株整体Cd积累；而Ca(NO₃)₂施用虽会提高土壤溶液Cd浓度，但能通过促进地上部细胞壁对Cd的固定，抑制Cd向籽粒的迁移。水培试验结果进一步表明，在酸性至近中性条件下，花生根系对Cd的吸收随溶液pH和Ca浓度升高呈抛物线型变化，在pH 6.0且Ca浓度为1 mmol L⁻¹（Ca/Cd=2000）时Cd吸收量达到峰值；当pH升高至7.5且Ca浓度超过1 mmol L⁻¹时，能显著降低Cd吸收，但此时会造成植株生物量的下降。因此，实现花生增产与籽粒Cd减控的双重目标需要合理优化土壤pH与Ca²⁺供应水平。

Abstract

Adjusting soil pH and supplementing calcium (Ca) are widely adopted agronomic practices for peanut cultivation in acidic soils, but their role in modulating cadmium (Cd) accumulation remains poorly clarified. Therefore, pot and hydroponic experiments were both conducted to assess the impacts of lime application (at a rate of 0.7%) and Ca application in the form of Ca(NO₃)₂ at varying levels (0.01, 0.02, and 0.04%) on Cd bioavailability in an acidic soil and its uptake by peanut. Results demonstrated that lime and Ca(NO₃)₂ individually reduced seed Cd concentrations by 15.7 and 30.4%, respectively, while their combined application increased peanut yield and reduced Cd concentration in seeds. Lime predominantly reduced Cd accumulation by limiting its uptake through root; while Ca(NO₃)₂ increased Cd in the soil solution but promoted Cd sequestration in shoot cell wall, ultimately restricting Cd translocation to pods. Additionally, hydroponic experiments under acidic to near-neutral conditions revealed a parabolic response of Cd uptake to the changes in pH and Ca concentration. The maximum Cd uptake was noticed at pH 6.0 with 1 mmol L^-1 Ca application (Ca/Cd=2,000). The notable decrease of Cd uptake were observed at higher pH 7.5 and Ca>1 mmol L^-1, but it also cause the reduction of plant biomass. These findings demonstrate that the optimization of pH and Ca²⁺ levels is necessary to enhance peanut yield and minimize Cd translocation to edible seeds.

Keywords: cadmium bioavailability rhizosphere soil pH calcium nitrate plant-soil interaction cell wall sequestration

Online: 20 March 2026

Fund:

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42077151); and the Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System (CARS-13).

About author: #Correspondence Xingxiang Wang, Tel: +86-25-86881200, E-mail: xxwang@issas.ac.cn; Yurong Wang, Tel: +86-25-86881200, E-mail: wangyurong@issas.ac.cn

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Xin Tang, Yuepeng Yin, Lirong Li, Saqib Bashir, Changfeng Ding, Zhigao Zhou, Taolin Zhang, Yurong Wang, Xingxiang Wang. 2026. Calcium-pH interplay modulates cadmium accumulation in Arachis hypogaea: Implications for safe peanut production. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2026.03.048

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